Cathedral Preparatory School

Cathedral Preparatory School (often referred to simply as Prep) is a private, Roman Catholic, college-preparatory high school for boys in Erie, Pennsylvania, United States. It was established in 1921 by Archbishop John Mark Gannon and is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie.

Cathedral Preparatory School
Address
225 West 9th Street

Erie
,
Pennsylvania
16501

United States
Coordinates42°7′27″N 80°5′17″W
Information
Other namePrep
TypePrivate, college-preparatory high school
Motto"Developing men of vision in spirit, mind, and body"
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Established1921 (1921)
FounderJohn Mark Gannon
Sister schoolVilla Maria Academy
OversightRoman Catholic Diocese of Erie
NCES School ID01190189[1]
PresidentScott Jabo[2]
Teaching staff39.5 (on a FTE basis)[1]
Grades9–12
GenderBoys
Enrollment530 (2018-2019)[1]
Student to teacher ratio14.1[1]
Color(s)Orange and Black   
SongLoyal and True
Athletics conferencePennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association
MascotRambler
NicknameRamblers
AccreditationMiddle States Association of Colleges and Schools[3]
PublicationLiterulae
NewspaperThe Rambler
Websitewww.prep-villa.com

History
Classes were originally located under St. Peter's Cathedral. The school is now located behind the cathedral.

On Friday, August 12, 1921, Bishop John Mark Gannon summoned the pastors of Erie’s twelve parishes to meet for the purpose of discussing the “lack of Catholic education for high school boys in the city.” “Many Catholics,” he claimed, “although highly intelligent and deserving, were denied the chance to receive a preparatory education because they were poor.” His goal was to establish a school that “provided the moral, intellectual, social, and physical training designed to prepare (men) to live in our democratic society…” thus, the Cathedral Preparatory School for Boys was established in the fall of 1921. The location of the new school was in the hastily remodeled basement of St. Peter’s Cathedral. The faculty consisted of four priests and one layperson. Tuition was $50 and paid for by the students’ parishes. In 1925, the first graduation class of 43 men became alumni.

Over the last decade, the school had undergone interior renovations to the halls and classrooms of all four floors in its main building. The project, which included the installation of new windows, ceilings, walls, lockers, lighting fixtures, carpeting, and a technology infrastructure has a projected completion cost of three million dollars. It recently completed a $1 million renovation to the science wing and auditorium.[4] On September 10, 2010, it officially opened the Cathedral Prep Events Center (now known as the Hagerty Family Events Center [5]), a new athletic complex for football, basketball, swimming, water polo, soccer, lacrosse, and track and field. A 1,800 seat gymnasium and a 400-seat natatorium complete with an Olympic-sized pool, a new wrestling room, and a weight room were recently completed on the corner of 12th and Cherry Streets for a cost of over $10 million.[6]

Academics

Students are required to take courses in English, history, mathematics, religion, foreign languages, science and are also required to complete 100 hours community of service. Additionally, every student must take the SAT in order to graduate. Some colleges and universities attended by the graduates include Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, Yale, Cornell, Columbia, MIT, Notre Dame, and the United States Military, Naval and Air Force Academies. Acceptance to the freshman class at Cathedral Prep is based on the results of the mandatory Entrance Exam, elementary school transcripts, elementary school disciplinary record, and recommendations from the elementary school teachers and principal. In 2019, 127 students graduated from Cathedral Preparatory School and 100% of the graduating class was accepted into a four-year college.[7]

Athletics

The school is a member of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) in PIAA District 10. Prep offers 13 varsity sports as well as many JV and freshman sports. On September 10, 2010, it officially opened the Cathedral Prep Events Center, a new athletic complex for football. Each year its basketball team hosts the Burger King Classic, which has been regarded as the No. 1 four-team basketball tournament in the country.

Student section

The school's student cheering section, particularly at football and basketball games, is widely known and has been called the best in the state of Pennsylvania.[8][9]

Notable alumni

References
  1. "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for CATHEDRAL PREPARATORY SCHOOL". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  2. "Senior Administration". Cathedral Preparatory School and Villa Maria Academy. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  3. MSA-CSS. "MSA-Commission on Secondary Schools". Archived from the original on 2009-09-17. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  4. "Article - Cathedral Preparatory School". web.archive.org. 8 July 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-07-08.
  5. https://www.goerie.com/sports/20180416/prep-villa-facility-renamed-hagerty-family-events-center
  6. http://erieathome.com/dct/62/id/405158/mid/148/New-Cathedral-Prep-Athletic-Complex-Starting-to-Take-Shape.aspx]
  7. https://www.prep-villa.com/about-us/fast-facts-about-prep-villa
  8. White, Mike. "Washington gets free-throw switch". Post-Gazette Blogs.
  9. "SSS: Student section spotlight". archive.is. 16 September 2013. Archived from the original on 16 September 2013.
  10. "RIDGE, Thomas Joseph - Biographical Information". Bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved 2019-04-05.
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